Fall has arrived, and what better way to celebrate the seasons than with this delicious pappardelle porcini? Pappardelle with porcini features a rich, earthy mushroom sauce served with the classic Italian ribbons pasta shape. This luxurious but still timeless Italian pasta recipe is the perfect cozy recipe to curly up in the crispy evening with family and friends.
If you are a mushrooms's lover like me, you'll also enjoy my baked pasta shell with mushrooms, peas and béchamel sauce, or my lasagna with butternut squash and mushrooms. Both cozy, hearty options for the colder months.
To make the porcini mushrooms sauce even more special, why not prepare your own pappardelle using my homemade pasta recipe? This step-by-step guide is packed with tips and information to help you to create fresh pappardelle at home, along with different pasta cuts you can try.
I also have a series of comforting pasta dishes perfect for chilly seasons: easy baked rigatoni al forno with a creamy sausage sauce, spaghetti arrabbiata with spicy rich tomato sauce, Calabrese sauce a rich comfort Italian style tomato sauce ragù cooked with different cuts of meat and to finish my amatriciana recipe with tomato sauce cooked with cheek's pork.
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What do you need for pappardelle porcini
- Mushroom - Porcini are the stars in this recipe. Make sure you best the best quality, for more info ready the section down below.
- Olive oil - Use extra virgin olive oil to sauté the garlic and the rest of the ingredients.
- Garlic
- Parsley - Choose Italian flat parsley.
- Butter - Use unsalted butter for the recipe.
- Cheese - A fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano gives to the pappardelle porcini ad extra umami flavour.
- Pappardelle - Choose between dried or fresh pappardelle. Remember that the cooking time is different. The fresh pappardelle are done when they start to floats to the surface of the water. While the dried ones need longer time, according to the package instructions.
Pappardelle porcini mushroom: swap & twist pasta ideas
- Cheaper porcini options - I know that fresh porcini can be quite expensive. A cheaper alternative would be to use dried or freezer porcini. These are all valid alternative.
- Pappardelle pasta - Beyond pappardelle use fusilli, fettuccine, mezze maniche, tonnarelli, spaghetti or tagliatelle.
- Herb - sage or a mix of herbs such as parsley, time, rosemary and nepitella. For a decorative touch add some fried sage leaves.
- Meat options - Italian sausage, pancetta or speak.
- Chopped nuts - Sprinkle some toasted walnuts on top of the porcini sauce before serving it.
- Veggies - peas, courgette, butternut squash or any delicate vegetables you have at the moment.
- Make it more luxurious - Top the pappardelle porcini pasta with fresh sliced truffle just before serving. Perfect for a romantic dinner. Choose between
- Truffle note - If fresh truffle isn't available, a drizzle of truffle infused olive oil will give an extra earthy depth.
- Spicy kick- Add a little red chilli (low to medium spicy) when doing the soffritto for a gentle heat and extra layer of flavour.
Fresh vs dried porcini
Both fresh and died porcini are excellent options, even when their season is over.
The cooking method for dried porcini is a bit different. Before preparing the pappardelle and the porcini sauce, the mushroom need to be rehydrate in clean water for at least 20 minutes. Don't discard the soaking water or porcini broth- It's packed with flavour. Strain the mushroom water through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to remove any dirt and impurities, and set it aside.
After the dried porcini have been sautéed for 5 minutes add few tablespoons of the broth and let it cook for few more minutes before continuing with the recipe.
Instructions
When using fresh porcini there are few important steps to follow regarding the cleaning technique. The big no is to whasing them under running water. Porcini act as a sponges, absorbing all the water, which can make their flavour bland. Instead, a damp kitchen paper is enough to clean them. Let's make this delicious pappardelle with porcini.
- Step 1: If the mushroom has some soil attached to the bottom of the stem, gently removing it with a knife. Make sure to slice carefully to preserve as much meat as possible.
- Step 2: Using a damp kitchen paper clean, all the parts of the mushroom. Replace the kitchen paper if it becomes too dirty.
- Step 3: Cut the porcini in chunks on a chopping board and set them aside. Chop the garlic and the washed parsley on a chopping board.
- Step 4: Add the olive oil, garlic and a parsley stem in a large pan. Sauté over low heat for 10 minutes or until the garlic is lightly golden.
- Step 5: Discard the parsley's stem. Add the porcini and cook over medium- high heat for 15 minutes, stir occasionally. Deglaze the white wine and let it evaporate on high heat. Add the butter, the salt and the chopper parsley, and cook until the butter is melted. Turn off the heat and set it aside.
- Step 6: Cook the pappardelle according to package instructions. Once the pappardelle are ready reserve 100 ml of pasta water. Add the pappardelle in the porcini sauce along with reserved water and toss over low heat, until the porcini sauce is creamy. Serve immediately the pappardelle porcini with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Hint: Don't over cook the mushrooms, as we want to preserve their meaty texture.
Buying fresh porcini: a quick guide
Porcini mushrooms are the star of this recipe, so choosing the best one is the key to a flavorful pasta sauce. There are different variety of porcini mushroom, but to ensure to buy the best quality is important to rely on the 3 signals: look, smell and touch.
- Look - The cap should have a brown colour without dark spots, while the stem should be in lighter colour. Avoid the mushrooms full of holes as it often indicate worms inside. A few holes are normal, but too many are a clear bad sign.
- Smell - Fresh porcini mushroom have a divine aroma that instantly reminds you of the forest. The scent is sweet with a subtle earthy aroma.
- Touch - They should feel firm and plump to touch, never soggy, slimy or dry.
Last but not least, always buy porcini mushrooms from a trusted vendor to ensure freshness, quality and safety. After all, you don't want the risk to confusing edible ones with poisonous varieties.
Top Tip
Porcini - Buy the best looking mushrooms you can find to make this pappardelle pasta recipe. Refer to the guide above.
Cleaning technique - Clean the porcini using the technique explained in the previously. Don't wash them under running water as it will ruin the flavour of the porcini.
Don't overcooking the mushrooms- Keep them meaty and flavourful by sautéing until just tender. We want to still taste their texture.
Adding the salt- Add the salt only once the mushrooms sauce is ready. This prevent the porcini from becoming soggy and boiled.
Pasta water - Once the pappardelle are ready don't waste all the pasta water, make sure to reserve 100 ml of water. This will help to achieve a creamy sauce.
Creamy porcini sauce - To get a creamy porcini mushroom sauce is important to add the pasta water along with the pappardelle into the pan. Toss everything until the sauce coat the pappardelle. Don't add any cream as the reserved water is more than enough.
More Italian pasta
Looking for more Italian pasta recipes? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Pappardelle porcini mushroom pasta - Italian recipe
Equipment
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Chopping Knife
- 1 fruit knife to remove the soil from the porcini stem
- kitchen paper
- 1 large frying pan
Ingredients
- 600 gr fresh porcini 22 oz
- 2 garlic clove
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 50 gr unsalted butter 1.78 oz
- 15 gr clean Italian flat parsley 0.53 oz
- 100 ml pasta water from the cooking 3.6 oz
- 100 ml white dried wine 3.6 oz
- 250 gr dried pappardelle or 500 gr fresh pappardelle 8.82 oz or
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- If the mushroom has some soil attached to the bottom of the stem, gently remove it with a knife. Make sure to slice carefully to preserve as much meat as possible. Using a damp kitchen paper clean, all the parts of the mushroom. Replace the kitchen paper if it becomes too dirty.
- Cut the porcini in chunks on a chopping board and set them aside. Chop the garlic and the washed parsley on a chopping board.
- Add the olive oil, garlic and a parsley stem in a large pan. Sauté over low heat for 10 minutes or until the garlic is lightly golden.
- Discard the parsley's stem. Add the porcini and cook over medium. The mushrooms will starts to release their water, and let it cook on high heat for 15 minutes, stir occasionally. Deglaze the white wine and let it evaporate on high heat. Add the butter, black pepper, salt, and the chopped parsley, and cook until the butter is melted. Adjust with salt if necessary. Turn off the heat and set it aside.
- Cook the pappardelle according to package instructions. Once the pappardelle are ready, reserve 100 ml of pasta water. Add the pappardelle in the porcini sauce along with reserved water and toss over low heat, until the porcini sauce is creamy. Serve immediately the pappardelle porcini with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Notes
Storage
The best way to store leftovers is in the fridge. Place them in an airtight container to keep them fresh for about three days. For the best results, reheat the pasta with a knob of butter and a plash of water over a gentle heat on a frying pan until is warm enough. This pappardelle with porcini also freezes well! Once it has completely cooled, transfer the leftovers into small airtight containers and place them in the freezer. It will stay fresh for up to one month. When needed, defrost the pasta in the fridge for 12 hours before reheating, then follow the instructions above.MAKING THIS? I'D LOVE TO SEE IT!
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Antonio says
Made it with dried porcini, and It was fantastic! I've followed you guidelines over switching the fresh porcini for the dried ones. Thank you!